News worthy . . .

Got a phone call last evening from The Day newspaper in New London asking us to subscribe. After making sure they knew we lived in far away Moosup I wholeheartedly agreed to a seven days a week subscription for $20.50 a month. The lady said the price would not change as long as we kept the subscription. This morning I called the circulation department to get our delivery box and I was also given a code so we can read the paper on line in the same format as the hard copy. Cool beansies. I then called The Bulletin and cancelled their paper as of Saturday. I felt badly because the lady seemed truly distressed. But it really is a horrible feint at a newspaper seemingly run for tweens by tweens. I hope this isn't a belated April Fool joke on the part of The Day! Suffering the start of another lachrymose day and I have to go to Groton for a dentist appointment. Hooey.

Quote: Newspapers should be news-carriers, not news-makers. --There is truth and entertainment enough to print without, fiction or falsehood, and to publish the latter is to betray the former. __C. Simmons

Hating housework . . .

It's pretty bad when you hate housework so much that you'll spend time searching for a $47 incongruity on your credit card. The transaction took place on January 3rd. I haven't completed the task yet but I shall get to the bottom of it. It's a good gray day to complete boring tasks. Yesterday's visit with old friends was a great success. It is truly amazing that even 60 years after our first meeting each other we're still comfortable together. Both Karen and Elise are talented artists. Elise has been designing interiors in a condominium complex on a bay in California for 30 years and is still at it. Karen's paintings have graced the covers of books and she quilts, makes temari balls (so beautiful, hand stitched, very colorful) and all in all relishes life. I will try to get Elise in touch with former high school friends and see if there will be a PCA reunion in 2011. They missed our 50th last year but what the heck. While I was out gallivanting Puppy's Pop made a delicious ham sandwich spread from the large baked ham we had on Saturday. Amazingly good sandwiches.

Quote: The time of life is short; to spend that shortness basely, 'twere too long. ___Shakespeare

Way before breakfast . . .

Up and out way before breakfast this morning! Four a.m. is still pitch black and below freezing, a stumbling around beginning to the day. We brought oldest child's oldest stepdaughter to Providence for her 6:30 flight to Baton Rouge by way of Chicago and Houston. I was amazed at how busy the airport was. The zigzag security line was about three quarters of the way back to the entrance. I had gone into the terminal to make sure B. wouldn't have a problem with her checked bag. But for $25 she was all set and I left her in the security line and found Puppy's Pop waiting out front in the drop off line. We decided to mosey our way back to Connecticut by way of Summit and Clayville, RI along Route 102 so we could catch an early six o'clock breakfast at Zip's. We haven't seen rosy fingered dawn in quite sometime and it was a beautiful ride.Zip's was loaded with people. Hadn't been expecting that but the service was impeccable. The Stafford Springs Swap Meet is today and that was the reason for the crowds at breakfast. Planning to go to late Mass and then to visit a very talented All Hallows friend this afternoon. Another All Hallows and PCA friend who lives and designs home interiors in California will be there also. It will be a pleasant visit even though I have to force myself. I'm not a very comfortable visitor. I am trying to remedy the situation by pushing myself to go out more. Miss my old buddy Angie who would drag me all over hell and damnation! Gee, it's 7:30 am and I'm getting tired!

Quote: They that will not be counselled, cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason she will rap you on the knuckles. ____Franklin

I confess . . .

Poor Puppy's Pop, he's always known that he married a somewhat compulsive cleaning bug who is always certain that she never makes any messes but I confess that I've made an egregious error. Years ago when I redid the floors in the two downstairs bedrooms I bought expensive braided rugs from Country Curtains in Warwick, RI. Six years ago when we had new floors and carpeting installed in all five rooms I moved the braided rugs to protect the kitchen floors, the largest in front of the sink. Soon Puppy's Pop accidentally dropped coffee grounds on it and what a spot it made. So I brought the rug to an expensive rug cleaner in Brooklyn and it looked pretty good for a while. Then the chemicals he used wore off and the spot was worst than ever so I tried to clean it myself. Finally got sick of the now huge spot, the turning around and over of the rug and put it downstairs in front of the new front loading washer. Then I chose the middle sized rug and put it in front of the sink. Perfect, beauteous, clean, spotless, light, comfortable rug until, yep, Puppy's Pop spilled a little something and I cleaned it up. Big, outlandish spot. Flipped the rug over, this time the spot hadn't leached through. Good for two days when I spilled a dab of coffee cream on the rug. I immediately took the wash cloth and using only water scrubbed the small spot vigorously. After it dried the dawn came. I am the culprit who has caused all of the spots over the years to grow into unsightly, catastrophic growths. You see; some of the colors on these wool rugs are reds and blues; they are not in the least bit color fast and my vigorous cleaning has made almost undetectable spots monstrously detectable even to the almost blind. How humiliating, how devastating, how insensitive, how maddening, that it took me so long to realize that I make as many messes as anyone else and huge ones at that. No longer perfect I must deal with my sins. Guess I'll try keeping my mouth shut before spouting off and blaming the innocent! See, confession is good for the soul. Well, not really. It's hard to admit you can be an imbécile! But I vow to grow in wisdom from this shattering experience.

Quote: The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none. ___Carlyle

Bits and pieces . . . (plagiarized!)

It's absolutely amazing how the food shopping experience is getting to be a horror show. Prices are soaring. Spent over $100 today for very little. Puppy's Pop is really cutting down on fats of all kinds and so we're both eating less beef but there doesn't seem to be much change in the Big Y bill! After I got back from Plainfield we went for a walk up the street because Puppy's Pop said it would be safe since no one can afford to drive their cars anymore. He was right. I'm not certain how many cars drove by but I don't think we saw more than five both ways. Pretty sad state of affairs when you can walk down the middle of the road and not worry about getting run over! It was cold and windy, yet sunny on the walk West but really nice and warm on the way back. We have a new neighbor across from the horseshoe pits. He may be working on the house for board! It'll take a lot of airing out and new lumber to clean that poor old house. The daffodils I tore out of my flower garden years ago and threw into a trench up on the hill have finally decided to blossom. Not too many; maybe a dozen. That'll be so nice as we do dishes and look out to see yellow blooms near the wall. I wonder if my irises will also attempt to flower this year? I rather doubt it but I'll just keep wishing it to be so. Finished my Ken Follett book last night. It was just palatable. Not sure what I'll read next. May have to go back to Ma's classics.

Quote: In jealousy there is more of self-love, than of love to another. ___La Rochefoucauld

Photo cache diminishing . . .

Finally getting somewhere with the old photos that were at Mémère and Pépère's and ended up at our house. Brothers two, their wives and I spent a good part of the day parceling out photos. Younger brother picked me up and we went to older brother's home where we immediately started to separate photos into piles for all five kids. It was interesting and fun. We all took a break at noon to go out to eat at the Thai Orchid in Southbridge. Food and company were great but I have to admit that as I write I am sucking on the tasty candies I scoffed up after lunch since all and sundry were being so nice about declining them. Not too shy,I pocketed three and a candy kiss. C graciously served a delicious desert, home made tart with apples and cranberries, when we returned from lunch to their home. Then we were back to the photos. A very pleasant rainy day spent in good company.

On a sad note gas prices are outrageous. On the way home we saw $3.99 for regular on Route 395 and in our village the cheapest is $3.79. It's a good thing younger brother filled his tank in Massachusetts where he still had to pay $3.54. I really expected them to get gas to $3.00 a gallon and call it quits. I am so naive it scares me. N sees $5 gas for the summer. May have to start walking to Big Y with my new garden cart!

UCONN men put on a great show last night and Puppy's Pop even stayed up to watch it with me. Three time National Champions, not too shabby.

Quote: A story should, to please, at least seem true, be apropos, well told, concise, and new; and whensoe'er it deviates from these rules, the wise will sleep, and leave applause to fools. ___Stillingfleet

Busy weekend . . .

Kiddo kept us company Friday and passed a math test on my iPad with 100%. So you know who had to take him out to McD's for breakfast and a visit to Target while Grampa was at the Horseshoe Tournament. He roamed around the toys like the connoisseur he is and decided he needed Yoda's light saber. He only has Luke Skywalker's and Darth Vader's and it's tough to play Star Wars with out the correct weaponry. After I brought him to Groton I picked up Mme G. in Killingly and we went to the Powder Mill Barn in Enfield for the Jam Français Party de sucre. An amazing number of people came and sang, played spoons ( I did buy a pair to Grampa's chagrin!), played fiddles, bass, guitars and brought their own booze. Wow, what a time was had. The people across from us were from Massachusetts and had home made wine that they shared with us. It was great. I've got to tell younger brother about it because they buy the juice in Canada and then make the wine at home. It was a Mezza Luna Red, smooth and delicious. Our meal consisted of pea soup (whole yellow peas, bien sûr), maple sugar baked ham, maple sugar cooked beans, meat pie, oven roasted patates, egg and ham sandwiches, and salad. The funniest thing was that they had 3oz cups on the buffet table with a little maple syrup. I took one and when I got to my place I figured that they just wanted us to get a taste of good Connecticut maple syrup. Mme G. saw me drink it up so she gave me hers which I also drank up. Come to find out I was supposed to put it on the ham! Oh well, c'était délicieux! For desert we had Gateau Ste. Catherine and Tarte au sucre. But the best part of the entire day was La Tire. They cooked up maple syrup until it was almost the consistency of molasses and poured it over snow (they had to bring a snow cone maker!) Then you take a stick, like a tongue depressor, and twist into the taffy like syrup until you get a nice bunch and eat it up! I only went out three times to get more than my share. Oh my, that is the best candy ever. I may have to make some next winter even before the Spring Cabane à sucre.

We listened to UCONN vs Kentucky on the way home and I was able to watch the second half before going to bed at midnight. Keeping my fingers crossed for Monday's game against Butler. We'll be watching the women play Notre Dame tonight in the final four.

After breakfast and Mass this morning younger brother's wife and I left for the Studio Theatre at UCONN. We went to see Strindberg's A Dream Play adapted and directed by Joseph Therrien, a former student and 1999 KHS graduate. He is completing his MFA degree in puppetry this year. He was also the puppet designer. He and the cast did a wonderful job presenting a difficult play. ". . . a piece of theatre that reveals the mind of a mad man, but a man ahead of his time." The play was written in 1901 and there have been many stage and movie versions. I believe that Joe's combination of puppetry and actors is a first and also first rate production. He may be bringing it to New York this summer. Sister-in-law and I stopped for lunch at Angelino's before heading back home on this beautiful sunny but windy day. Now I've got to get ready for my UCONN women's game. Geaux Huskies! I promised Mme G. I would get her some Geaux Tigers posters. She had never heard of Go spelled Geaux!

Quote: There is so much of the glare and grief of life connected with the stage, that it fills me with most solemn thoughts. ____Henry Giles